The sand park MMO ArcheAge has gone through one of the most difficult launches in recent history and has hit some bumps along the way. Some founders who invested in the game before its launch feel betrayed and are vocally expressing their displeasure. The founder packages did not provide the expected benefits.
Trust of the founders shaken
The business policy is clear. The statement is unequivocal: As a founder, you buy yourself privileges. As a paid player, you are treated preferentially. You start before those who want to play for free and can carve out an advantage. But what remains?
The problem: The founders paid for a head start. On two new servers, they did not get it; on a third, it was only one day. And even on the other servers, many found it difficult to get through the long queue to gather enough playtime to say afterwards: I got the value for my money that I expected. It was worth it.
The costly head start access to ArcheAge lost attractiveness for many in hindsight.
Now, right after the launch, comes the next blow. Trion Worlds introduces new “starter packs” that serve as a replacement for founder packs. However, they cannot promise Alpha and Beta access or the head start, so they entice with long-term attractive in-game rewards in the form of cash shop items.
The reaction of the fans can be imagined: Upset. They complain that they got too little from their founder package, and Trion Worlds introduces new packages to – in their view – tap into new buyer segments.
And as if that weren’t enough, reports are now emerging that some “Free2Play” players mistakenly received “Patron” status, thereby receiving the same privileges in the queue as founders. Now many are disappointed, as the privileges of the founder package sounded so tempting just recently.
In ArcheAge, some are still more unequal than others
In every MMORPG, players want advantages over others. In ArcheAge, this situation is further exacerbated by the fact that ArcheAge struggles with a shortage of land. The launch in ArcheAge is front-loaded; in the early days, players can set off and carve out an advantage. The first find flourishing landscapes, the best building spots are still free, the seas are safe, and even the later riskiest trade routes are not yet a problem.
The “head start” advantage in ArcheAge is no “just a nice bonus” like in The Elder Scrolls Online or WildStar, but brings a much greater advantage that was indeed worth the money for some.
The cash flows, the lead swells.
Ironically, the founders paid for this advantage, specifically not having to play by the “same rules” as Free2Play players. Many did not receive this lead, this unequal condition, and now feel disadvantaged compared to those who were not stuck in the queues and could start right away.
It would indeed have been important to ensure at least equal conditions among the privileged. But this cannot be guaranteed with an unstable server version and many bugs No publisher in the world can guarantee a smooth launch. And in ArcheAge – with the special conditions – long queues were absolutely to be expected.
What can we learn from this for the future?
Looking at it soberly: Players expected certain things from the founder package that have now not come to pass. Either the next publisher must ensure that these hopes are fulfilled or the buyers must significantly lower their expectations and prepare for disappointment. This seems to be the impression of outsiders. What a disappointed person usually hears now is: Your own fault. Why did you pay in advance? Didn’t you learn anything from the many disappointments of others?
Among the biggest hopes were the four days of “head start”, the advantage over Free2Play players. With two new servers at launch and the long queues even for founders during the actual head start, this promise could not be fulfilled.
That the other advantages are now diminished retroactively due to starter packs is annoying. This makes the “exclusive” founder rewards much less “exclusive” in retrospect, even though they still are at their core. It is difficult to pinpoint whether the founder packages are now better than the starter packages or vice versa. The excitement surrounding this discussion (the official thread has 41 pages) is certainly not only due to the facts but also to the currently charged atmosphere.
Of course, Trion Worlds seems somewhat tactless in these decisions. If such packages had been introduced in two months or at least waited until the initial anger subsided, there wouldn’t have been such an outcry as now. Of course, Trion Worlds is interested in financial success. However, they should ensure that they do not give the impression of wanting to monetize ArcheAge as much as possible in the first weeks and months when the demand is massive.
With the current decisions, a lot of goodwill has already been consumed. This will also affect future decisions for some who invested in a founder package. Regardless of whether it is an MMO from Trion Worlds or another provider.
Investing in such founder packs or Early Access is done at your own risk. However, it would be better for the genre if founders did not regret their investments afterwards.
More about the sand park MMO can be found on our dedicated page to ArcheAge.
